KFC Pulls "Racist" Australian TV spot

@dlowan,

Quote:

I think the fear of watermelon and fried chicken is "purely" a US thing.

Are there not similar racially sensitive symbols in Australia?

((It would be interesting to hear the perspective of a non-white Australian))

2 Replies

@dlowan,

Well, didn't really say otherwise. The ad was Australian. In that Australian context, I get that it was probably fine.

1 Reply

@ebrown p,

ebrown p wrote:

Quote:

I think the fear of watermelon and fried chicken is "purely" a US thing.

Are there not similar racially sensitive symbols in Australia?

((It would be interesting to hear the perspective of a non-white Australian))

Of course there are.

Frankly, I am on the point of attempting to dredge them up so I can go around accusing USians of racism if they happen to say something reminiscent of them, so you guys can get some idea of how immensely irritating it is.

This is not about attempting to make the ridiculous point that there is no racism in Australia, it is about US crap being held to be universal.

I don't think we have food phobias involved, though....perhaps the witchetty grub?

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@sozobe,

sozobe wrote:

Well, didn't really say otherwise. The ad was Australian. In that Australian context, I get that it was probably fine.

Actually, you did say otherwise...you may not have MEANT it...but you said it.

It's not just bloody Australia, for starters.

I find your attitude similar to Snood's actually...you're trying to get it, but your mindset is so ingrained that your words show it. You just can't help it, I think.

1 Reply

@dlowan,

Haven't you already said that you get why KFC pulled it though?

So who are you complaining about with "it is about US crap being held to be universal"? (I haven't followed this thread super-closely, might be something I missed, I know there have been references to videos and people complaining in them, is that what you mean?)

One point I didn't highlight that I think is good is Robert's point about how it's not just racial sensitivity in general, it's KFC's specific #1 bugbear and so someone in the hierarchy was stupid to let this happen even if it was in Australia.

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@dlowan,

How?

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i like fried chicken and watermelon

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@sozobe,

sozobe wrote:

Haven't you already said that you get why KFC pulled it though?

So who are you complaining about with "it is about US crap being held to be universal"? (I haven't followed this thread super-closely, might be something I missed, I know there have been references to videos and people complaining in them, is that what you mean?)

One point I didn't highlight that I think is good is Robert's point about how it's not just racial sensitivity in general, it's KFC's specific #1 bugbear and so someone in the hierarchy was stupid to let this happen even if it was in Australia.

I am off to work, so for now perhaps you might read my earlier posts.

1 Reply

@dlowan,

I think I have -- that is, while I haven't read every post here I think I've read all of your posts.

I'll swing back and see.

I'm still interested in HOW you saw me saying something other than what I intended (or, if I intended it after all and was wrong-headed, I'd like to see in what way).

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@dlowan,

Quote:

This is not about attempting to make the ridiculous point that there is no racism in Australia, it is about US crap being held to be universal.

No one is saying that US cultural issues are universal. Everyone here understands that the specific irritant in this ad, namely fried chicken, is only relevant in the US cultural context.

I wish we could move on from this point.

The only thing I take issue with is the dismissive stance taken when people are offended by offensive symbols.

This is not "US crap". Go ahead and make the point that this is meaningless in Australia. I am not arguing the point. But racial sensitivity is not "crap".

Standing up and speaking out against racist stereotypes is an important part of American society. In my opinion, these discussions should necessarily take place in any just society. The fact that in some cases people go overboard (and in this case the cultural context makes it clear the message was unintentional) does not take away from the point that people have the right, and the obligation, to voice their objections.

As I have said repeatedly, I don't object to this ad, particularly in its cultural context.

But I do object to the idea that people shouldn't speak up about these things. That people disagree doesn't take away from the fact that dealing with racial issues ia good for society.

I also think it is silly that people should take offense when an American company (for either business or philosophical reasons) should stop this ad (which everyone has been enjoying anyway).

Do you really feel that racial or cultural sensitivity is depriving you of something?

2 Replies

@dlowan,

Quote:

I don't think we have food phobias involved, though....perhaps the witchetty grub?

I once asked you Aussies about "shrimp on the barbie" and got a rather uppity response.

2 Replies

@Green Witch,

that's just hack though, like basing everything in america on what you see on tv or movies

1 Reply

@djjd62,

I know it's advertising, but it still forces a stereotype onto people who resent it.

0 Replies

@ebrown p,

ebrown p wrote:

But I do object to the idea that people shouldn't speak up about these things. That people disagree doesn't take away from the fact that dealing with racial issues ia good for society.

I also think it is silly that people should take offense when an American company (for either business or philosophical reasons) should stop this ad (which everyone has been enjoying anyway).

Do you really feel that racial or cultural sensitivity is depriving you of something?

I agree. It's good to talk about it. That's why I'd prefer it stayed on air here, and be defended for what it is.

Yes, I understand racial and cultural sensitivity. It's people in the US who have wrongly chosen to include the West Indies cricket fans in their own southern USA culture based purely on their skin colour.

Based purely on their skin colour.

In the countries outside the US, we don't even SEE the skin colour, because, well, why the hell would we? That's just what people in the West Indies tend to look like.

I get KFC USA's response. It's economic reality. But it's still wrong. It's racist of them to remove the ad. They're allowing West Indians to grouped as "blacks".

1 Reply

@ebrown p,

ebrown p wrote:

((It would be interesting to hear the perspective of a non-white Australian))

I'm curious about why you say that.

1 Reply

@sozobe,

sozobe wrote:

One point I didn't highlight that I think is good is Robert's point about how it's not just racial sensitivity in general, it's KFC's specific #1 bugbear and so someone in the hierarchy was stupid to let this happen even if it was in Australia.

The part I really don't get is the notion that KFC pulling the ad represents US cultural influence over Australia that the existence of the KFC ad in Australia itself doesn't already represent. I totally get how any country can resent that kind of thing (hence my qualms with the US fast food franchises taking over Costa Rica), but this is the predictable consequence of having an American company operating in your country, sometimes their decisions will reflect their American interests. It'd make more sense to me to take issue with the presence of all KFC ads in your country if you oppose American culture's pervasive influence (and don't get me wrong, I think there are many reasons to and would love to see fewer KFC's in Costa Rica for example).

That was the initial point I was making when I said that if cultural influence is the concern Australians should be pissed about having KFC there in the first place but that argument turned into a discussion on the quality of KFC food and fried food.

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@Robert Gentel,

I am speculating that minorities will have more sympathy for racial sensitivity in any country.

Imagine the reverse situation-- where something offensive to indigenous Australians was broadcast by an Australian company in the US. I suspect that minority groups in the US (who have dealt with these issues) would be sympathetic, where other Americans would dismiss it as "political correctness".

There are many examples where "politically correct" objections to ads or shows in the US are now widely agreed to have been warranted.

1 Reply

@ebrown p,

i think you'd like to believe that, but i bet the reality is, that a few would be that way and the majority would not care one bit

much like the FCC complaints, they come from a very small percentage of the population, but a noisy percentage

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For anyone still not fully understanding the non-US perspective (that's most, but not all of you from what I can see), here's an interesting article that lays it out quite nicely.
http://blogcritics.org/politics/article/how-americas-cultural-insularity-had-a/

Some highlights:

Quote:

Dr Brendon O'Connor, an associate professor at the University of Sydney's United States Studies Centre who is writing a book about US stereotypes and insularity, says Americans have a tendency to think "their history is more important than that of other countries", while adding that in an American context - which in this case is out of context - the ad could look racist.

"Americans would find the ads racist mostly because they don't realise the context that the West Indies team was here to play cricket," he says.

and...

Quote:

the episode does appear to underline the way our brethren over the big pond appear to buy too easily into what might best be described as the myth of their own exceptionalism.

While the short history of the US doesn't wholly support the view, many Americans nevertheless like to think of themselves as the beacon of hope, the light on the hill ... and, falsely, the only light

1 Reply

@sozobe,

Sure, absolutely--and people have complete blind spots for cultural artifacts with which they are unfamiliar. I was in an office once, looking over an old typewriter with two secretaries, and said that it must have been purchased before 1959, because there was no zip code on the address label. The younger woman looked at me with a mildly shocked expression, and then commented that she had never thought about a time when there weren't zip codes.

Many people now who are over the age of sixty totally don't get the relationship to technology which people born since about 1975 have. I suspect that this applies to more subtle cultural artifacts, too, such as attitudes and opinions. Someone made a comment to me here recently which implied that something was stupid because homosexual, and when i questioned that, asked if i were homosexual. I guess she didn't get the memo that it's OK to be a homo now--nobody told her.

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KFC Pulls "Racist" Australian TV spot

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